In the personal computer world, Windows PC's are cheaper and more disposable than Macs. But could that change in the tablet world? Windows tablets are working towards using Intel processors inside to perform well and keep the portability. Currently, Apple's iPad uses a much cheaper and efficient ARM chip which is great for portable conditions. Windows tablets, using the Intel processors will find that meeting a low price standard will be difficult. We could see Windows 8 tablets with Intel processors selling between $599-899. That's as much as a Mac where the Mac Mini starts at $599 and prices go up from there.

The iPad, however will continue to sell for $499. The iPad 3 rumored to be unveiled in February with iOS 5.1 is said to sport a quad core A6 chip, retina display, and LTE technology. How will this scale up to a Windows 8 tablet running an Intel processor? Well for one, the battery will have to be bigger. An Intel processor will use more power than an ARM processor will because ARM is used in the mobile world for a reason - power efficiency. A bigger battery means a thicker product. Do you really want a bulky, expensive Windows tablet? The iPad is slim and with jailbreaking, can be versatile keeping its long battery life of up to one month shelved.

Due to the high prices of Microsoft's Windows 8 licensing and Intel's failure to cooperate with its prices, vendors of Windows 8 tablets might be more inclined to convert to ARM-based processors to save money as Digitimes reports. Intel is a great solution for power, but the expense isn't great for a company trying to make money. An ARM processor is much cheaper to manufacture and similar, somewhat less powerful results can be achieved. For around half the price, and for what it is, I'd say the iPad is a better deal. Unfortunately, we don't know enough about Windows 8 tablets or their specifications because they haven't been released yet to compare.

Right now its not a question of who will ultimately win the tablet market, but who will take second, third, and so on. Apple has amassed a massive lead a la the iPod and become the de facto comparison when new products are introduced to the market. Until someone can supplant Apple's iPad as a cultural icon, then this conversation will always pit Apple at number one, and the rest battling it out for the remaining market share.

These are two very much different devices. They also gear toward different markets. It will be hard comparing them. One is an optimized tablet running a customized OS (ipad), the other is a designed for a laptop replacement (Windows 8 tablet). I have both the Samsung Slate 3g and Ipad 2 3g. UI of the Ipad is smoother but I found myself using the Slate everyday while once or twice a week for the ipad/Notebook. I paid close to 900 for the iPad 64GB and roughly 1050 for the i5 128gb slate.

I think this article is quick to dismiss the abilities of Intels newer processors. Intel has been demonstrating their medfield processors that are supposed to be shipping in new android devices and performance has been pretty good. Battery life will be something we will need to keep an eye on. However building a battery in the case of the device does wonders for the iPad. If tablet manufacturers start building sleek small devices that ultimately marry to a case battery style device you will get the performance and portability for a successful product. Problem is that apple has perfected the process and because of that other companies have to spend more money to accomplish the same goal. This cost is passed onto the consumer which makes their product not as appealing as a iPad or MacBook air for example.

Also Microsoft isn't helping any when they radically introduce new concepts that deviate far from the general progression that windows 3.1->Windows 7 built upon. When you start doing things like this you force consumers to make a different choice. No longer is it a go with what I'm comfortable with or "try something new". It's "try something new with a company that is losing market share or a company who's been struggling to stay innovative" or "try something new with a company who's been innovating quite a bit lately and has been gaining market share". Your safer bet is with apple. Microsoft is forcing the hands of consumers and you're gonna lose both young consumers looking for something new and exciting as well as the veterans who are forced to learn something new.

IPAD IS NOT A DESKTOP REPLACEMENT......IT A WAY OF GETTING INFO WITH YOU THE MOST RELIABLE WAY QUICKER AND EASIER...NEVER WAS IT SAID THE IPAD WAS A REPLACEMENT FOR LAPTOPS.....

thats why and iPad you have to SYNC it with your laptop to do you Keynote of etc....then sync Back to the iPad to go to your presentation...of whatever.... its a quicker way better way for transporting your info/data/presentation etc..etc.....

I swear the only people that say that crap are the ones who only use their iFad to play games, surf the web, and listen to music! I mean lets be honest, aside from that crap you really can't do a whole lot more on the iFad when compared to a Laptop! How about the lack of STORAGE EXPANSION with an iFad compared to a laptop. Oh and how bout comparing that wussy A5 processor that iFad carries to some of Intel's dual core processors? Yeah no comparison there. Oh and how much RAM does that iFad have? Oh yeah a whopping 512mb!! WHOA that's wayyyy more than the 4GB most ultrabooks offer. But then of course the cost of the iFad is where it really shines over a netbook/ultrabook/laptop right? Yeah because for the $830 you pay for the highest iFad that Crapple offers you could have gotten a full blown Toshiba Portege Ultrabook, 13.3" display, 4GB RAM, 1.4GHz processor, 128mb SSD hard drive, 8 HOURS BATTERY LIFE (since you wanna act like only the iFad can pull that off), oh and lest we forget TWO USB 2.0 ports and ONE USB 3.0 port!! Not to mention most importantly it runs a FULL BLOWN OS so you can do practically ANYTHING compared to an iFad. Oh and it's $30 bucks LESS THAN THE iFAD!! The model is Z835-P330 just in case you wanna call my bluff!

Originally Posted by eyepoper

But Remember

IPAD IS NOT A DESKTOP REPLACEMENT......IT A WAY OF GETTING INFO WITH YOU THE MOST RELIABLE WAY QUICKER AND EASIER...NEVER WAS IT SAID THE IPAD WAS A REPLACEMENT FOR LAPTOPS.....

thats why and iPad you have to SYNC it with your laptop to do you Keynote of etc....then sync Back to the iPad to go to your presentation...of whatever.... its a quicker way better way for transporting your info/data/presentation etc..etc.....

Right now its not a question of who will ultimately win the tablet market, but who will take second, third, and so on. Apple has amassed a massive lead a la the iPod and become the de facto comparison when new products are introduced to the market. Until someone can supplant Apple's iPad as a cultural icon, then this conversation will always pit Apple at number one, and the rest battling it out for the remaining market share.

Apple also had a massive lead when Android came to town, who's now in second? Fads change. the iPad is just the next bell bottoms.

All of these comments are powerful and meaningful... there is just a few small things that many find hard to understand and its as follows:

Perception is reality. If you read modmyi then you probably understand more about tech than many of the people who buy these. these people don't want everything you do in a portable device. Many of them use it because they can press a button that does something they want. That feature alone better or worse then another device on market is simply put enough for these people and they draw a line because they are satisfied... These people see that as the "best".

Now ask yourself something, Do these people need a laptop? many of them are first timers, by the time they graduate to something more appropriate for what they need or even develop that need, will any of this even matter with whats on the market at that time? You might think yes, but they are proving you wrong at lightning speed if you answered so.

- I like my iPad, I'm a Linux/Unix/Mac/Win Lover. I build computers, and i design. In the end my iPad (1st gen) is more than enough to throw in a bag and get my work done. it can take longer and at times more stressful than a laptop but it works. It does not do many of the things I can do at home but i work a lot and this suits me better when i am gone... but then again thats just perception at work.

Totally agree, just as my friend told me "I love my iPad. It has almost completely replaced my personal computer. For the things I do... It is perfect! Much nicer than any CPU I have ever owned. All my other computers would do a lot of things I would never use it for, and do it painfully in the process (slow, buggy, etc.). When you get down to what you do most on you personal computer... the iPad does almost all of the things an average user needs, and with a much much nicer U/I. Easy of use, fast, and efficient. The other computer manufacturers could learn a thing or two from this, but even if they do... they will probably screw-up the one they come out with by adding all the crap back in again. Ugggggg!!!!"

Which Im agreed to, I should say if you use your PC as a "consumer" rather than a programmer, then the iPad pretty much does everything you'd want.

Just had this discussion in the other thread with these fanbois babbling about how the iFad

You lost credibility right there in my eyes. I neither have an iPad (well, fiance does), nor think it's a laptop replacement, but your choice of words is nothing more than insulting and ridiculous. Come at the issue objectively and maybe people will care what you have to say.

You lost credibility right there in my eyes. I neither have an iPad (well, fiance does), nor think it's a laptop replacement, but your choice of words is nothing more than insulting and ridiculous. Come at the issue objectively and maybe people will care what you have to say.

lmao you make it sound like I need yours or anyone else's approval or something. You're nothing but a potato bug in my eyes so why would I need approval from someone that far down on the food chain??